“Please state your full name for the court records.” The lawyer asked the man in the witness stand, pacing in front of the judge and simultaneously glaring at the witness.
The man in the stand shifted slightly in his seat and leaned into the microphone. “Andrew David Thomas Junior.” He said.
“You pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges presented against you. Can you explain how you are ‘not guilty’ for the rape of Anna Lucas and Isobel Jones?” The lawyer asked, still pacing—and glaring—in front of Andrew.
Andrew leaned towards the microphone again. “Actually I would like to clarify that.” He said, looking sideways towards the judge.
“What would you wish to clarify, Mr. Thomas?” The judge asked.
“I would only like to plead not guilty to the charge of raping Anna Lucas.” Andrew said to the judge. “I know that I am guilty of having sex with Izzie.”
“Mr. Thomas,” the lawyer started again, “please refer to the plaintiffs respectfully.”
“I’m sorry.” Andrew said. He did seem genuinely sorry for his lack of respect. “I did engage in sexual intercourse with Miss Jones.”
“Can you please explain why you are only guilty of raping Miss Jones and not Miss Lucas?”
Andrew straightened in his seat and put his hands on the stand, the microphone picking up the sound of his shackles when they hit the wood. “Miss Lucas drugged me with roofies and sexually assaulted me in a closet.”
The lawyer looked at his seriously for a moment, and then his mouth quirked up into a sickly sweet smile. “You expect me, and those twelve intelligent people, to believe that a sixteen year old girl drugged you and slept with you?”
“Yes,” he said simply. “I would also like to point out that you said ‘slept with’ not ‘sexually assaulted’ or ‘raped’.”
The lawyer’s eyebrows furrowed. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“In your eyes, the fact that I slept with a student willingly is vile and repulsive, and yet, when the tables have turned and the responsible adult is the subject of the crime, he is not victimized.” He explained. “This very gray area in the law and in people’s morals truly worries me.”
“We are not here to determine my morals, Mr. Thomas. We are here to determine how long you are to go to jail for.”
“Please,” Andrew gestured for the lawyer to carry on.
The lawyer merely looked annoyed for a moment. “Explain to us your relationship with Miss Lucas and Miss Jones.” He said through gritted teeth.
Andrew smiled, pleased at the effects of his impudence. I couldn’t help but smile slightly as well. “They were my students.”
"What did you teach them and where?" The lawyer asked, not looking any happier.
"I taught History and English at Hillwood Preparatory School."
"When did you make your first advances towards Miss Lucas and Miss Jones?"
Andrew sighed theatrically. It made me happy that he was taking all of this in good humor, despite everything. "I already told you, I didn't make any 'advances'," he gestured with airquotes, "to Miss Lucas or Miss Jones."
The lawyer seemed about to burst then, and he, in a height of rage, slammed his hands on the wood surface of the witness stand saying: "then why are you here being tried for sexually assaulting a minor, Mr. Thomas?"
Andrew looked at the lawyer with an expression of both surprise and amusement. "Maybe we should start from the beginning, yeah?"
YOU ARE READING
Wrong
RomansaWhen Mr. Thomas began teaching at Hillwood Academy, we didn't really know what to think. I suppose we were surprised to have a teacher that actually cared about what he taught and whether or not we learned anything. Anna thought differently. She wan...
